\n<\/p>\n
SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Nearly a year ago on the dot, Mike Dunleavy, the Golden State Warriors\u2019 future general manager, and Kent Lacob, an ascending front office personnel voice, hopped in a car and made the quick 50 mile trip south to Santa Clara\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n
They were primarily there to see Maxwell Lewis<\/a>, the possible lottery pick out of Pepperdine. Lewis played fine. He\u2019d eventually get selected 40th in the 2023 NBA Draft. But he wasn\u2019t the best player on the floor. Brandin Podziemski<\/a>, a 6-foot-4 guard who was only beginning to creep onto the draft radar, made every significant play to lead Santa Clara to victory. His 23 points mattered. But it was the 18 rebounds that had Dunleavy\u2019s and Lacob\u2019s antennas up.<\/p>\n \u201cMike and I walked out of the game like, \u2018Um, that guy might be a first-round pick,’\u201d Lacob said.<\/p>\n Podziemski competed in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend last Friday. He leads all NBA<\/a> rookies with 14 games of at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, making him a clear candidate to finish on the All-Rookie first team.<\/p>\n He turns 21 this week, but has already pushed his way past Klay Thompson<\/a> into the Warriors\u2019 starting and closing lineups, a vital glue piece of head coach Steve Kerr\u2019s favorite five-man group, which has outscored opponents by 57 points in 107 minutes.<\/p>\n The relationship between Podziemski and the Warriors<\/a> can be traced to that February night. That\u2019s when they first began to take Podziemski seriously as a prospect. In the ensuing 12 months \u2014 with a bunch of important inflection points along the way \u2014 he has won over every level of the organization, most crucially his veteran teammates.<\/p>\n Podziemski\u2019s future surfaced recently in the visiting locker room in Salt Lake City. He\u2019s a prototype role player right now, but has dreams of becoming an All-Star. There are roadblocks ahead and limitations to overcome. But anyone who has doubted Podziemski to this point has continually been proven wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ceiling is high,\u201d Draymond Green<\/a> said. \u201cHe\u2019s still learning. Still figuring s\u2014 out. But when you start looking at people who are going to succeed him<\/em>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Green points three lockers down. Stephen Curry<\/a> is getting dressed after torching the Jazz<\/a>. Curry\u2019s prime may extend until 40. But he turns 36 next month. When Curry is 40, Podziemski will be 25.<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t look the same,\u201d Green said. \u201cTotally different. But you\u2019re very comfortable when he\u2019s out there on the court. That says a lot for a rookie on t<\/em>his\u00a0<\/em>team \u2014 that you feel the amount of comfort you do when he\u2019s out there running the show.\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors\u2019 front office reconnected with Podziemski at the draft combine in Chicago in May. Most top prospects don\u2019t do much court work. He tested out better than expected athletically and was already rising on boards, getting first-round buzz. Some in his position may have skipped the scrimmages. Podziemski didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cI got nothing to hide,\u201d he told the Warriors brass, led by scouting director Larry Harris.<\/p>\n Podziemski then went out and crushed the scrimmage portion. His stock spiked again. In-person workouts cranked up. Podziemski traveled the country, intent on impressing. He went to Houston. Chuck Hayes, currently in the Warriors front office, was working for the Rockets<\/a> at the time. He remembers Podziemski killing the workout while letting the gym know about it.<\/p>\n \u201cBP,\u201d Hayes called out before a recent game. \u201cYou remember talking trash to John Lucas in the Rockets workout?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah,\u201d Podziemski replied.<\/p>\n Podziemski and Lucas, the former NBA point guard and legendary development coach, were arguing about who was the greatest lefty guard in the building. It was an early peek into the mindset that has earned Podziemski so much respect.<\/p>\n \u201cHe talk s\u2014 all day,\u201d Green said. \u201cThat\u2019s all he do.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski thought he crushed his workout in Miami. He figured the Heat<\/a> might draft him 18th. They went with Jaime Jaquez Jr.<\/a>, also a Warriors\u2019 favorite. Golden State was up at No. 19. Podziemski thought he fit, but didn\u2019t feel quite as optimistic about how he performed at his group workout in San Francisco. The Warriors were sure.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was great on the court,\u201d Lacob said. \u201cLike, really good. Clearly the best player in the workout.\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors then brought him into the film room and had him break down two games of tape. They don\u2019t often learn much in these sessions. Podziemski was different. They slowed down some of his pick-and-roll decision-making against Gonzaga and defensive possessions.<\/p>\n \u201cHe could reference personnel on the other team,\u201d Lacob said. \u201cNames, tendencies, opponent actions. His memory recall was super impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski popped in the Warriors\u2019 analytics model, put together by their vice president of analytics Pabail Sidhu. They value it with increased frequency. Podziemski\u2019s 8.8 rebounds per game led his conference. That juiced the analytics model. When it was all wrapped together, Podziemski finished top-10 on the front office\u2019s consensus final draft board.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a belief that he was clearly a Steve Kerr system fit, but also a consensus belief it was more than that,\u201d Lacob said. \u201cThe talent combined with the IQ and the personality was something to bet on.\u201d<\/p>\n Cam Whitmore<\/a>, considered a pre-draft top-five prospect, was still available at 19. So were plenty of other valued players. But the Warriors didn\u2019t flinch. They took Podziemski. It was Dunleavy\u2019s first draft selection as general manager. The room agreed on Podziemski.<\/p>\n Green sprained his left ankle just before training camp. He missed about a month. In his ramp-up to return, the Warriors set up a scrimmage in Sacramento the morning of their second game. Podziemski was out of the rotation, so they had him play on Green\u2019s team. They lost the first scrimmage after Green turned it over.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t have a turnover for game!\u201d Podziemski told Green. \u201cYou cannot turn the ball over for game.\u201d<\/p>\n Green was stunned. They\u2019ve had rookies who barely say a word to him the entire season.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018OK, cool, you got it. No problem,’\u201d Green said. \u201cHere we are playing a pick-up game, a game to get me<\/em> ready and he\u2019s yelling at me. That to me said a whole lot. I was like, \u2018You know what? No problem. But make sure you speak up like that all the time.’\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors had an extended stay in Los Angeles during the preseason. They had some workouts on UCLA\u2019s campus. After one practice, the guards set up a King of the Court style one-on-one. Score and stay. Podziemski was up against a group that included Curry and Chris Paul<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were at UCLA, right?\u201d Paul asked Moses Moody<\/a>. \u201cWhen BP beat us in ones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Moody responded, grinning at the memory. The rookie was giving it to two of the greatest to ever do it at the point guard position and alerting anyone within earshot of the damage.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did the Tiger (Woods) fist-pump,\u201d Paul said, shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Let\u2019s f\u2014g go!’\u201d Curry remembers him taunting. \u201cThat was hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski\u2019s first NBA taste was bitter. He struggled in summer league, mostly with his jumper and floater. The more he stewed, the more it snowballed.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a little bit of doubt after summer league,\u201d Podziemski admitted. \u201cBut the rest of that July period and August and September, I just attacked. I focused on what I needed to work on to be a role player on this team.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski attended every team workout that Curry, Paul and Green organized across the summer. He was in the team facility on Aug. 1 and a mainstay almost every day after. He entered camp confident he could make some noise, even if most figured he\u2019d spend the majority of the season in Santa Cruz with the Warriors G League affiliate.<\/p>\n Kevon Looney<\/a> remembers the new rookie guard bashing into him and clawing over rebounds. He initially told Podziemski to quit stealing them away. Then he realized it was part of his game and attitude.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember in those mini-camps, he\u2019d be grumbling after scrimmages like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m tired of losing,’\u201d Looney said. \u201cI was like, \u2018You should just be happy you\u2019re on the court.\u2019 He\u2019s like, \u2018Nah, we gotta figure out a way to win. They need to pass me the ball.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Uhh, I don\u2019t know about that.’\u201d<\/p>\n Looney saw a quote from Podziemski soon after the draft that said he wanted to be a triple-double guy.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s pretty bold,\u201d Looney said and laughed. \u201cBut I know most Wisconsin guards have this crazy confidence to them. (Jordan) Poole. Tyler Herro<\/a>. He\u2019s got a delusion to him that makes him good.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski grew up in Milwaukee in what he describes as a \u201ccompetitive\u201d family where his father, John, and his mother, Barbara West, didn\u2019t allow him to win at anything. He needed to earn it.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom that competitiveness comes confidence,\u201d Podziemski said. \u201cKnowing how much you put into the game, why would you come in here nervous or timid?\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski stays extremely late after games. He strolls around the locker room and converses with anyone in his orbit. He tried to set up an NBA-related quiz after a game early in the season to get some spending money off Thompson and then compared their salaries when Thompson was hesitant. Thompson told him to stop \u201cpocket-watching.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easier to tame a lion than get a sheep to show some oomph,\u201d Curry said. \u201cThe most annoying parts about him are the greatest parts about him. He\u2019s still coachable. That\u2019s a big part of it. You can say all that stuff but if you can\u2019t accept coaching, that\u2019s where it turns into being counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski trails Curry for postgame workouts and studies what makes him great. He might be the most active member of the team\u2019s group chat, according to Green, and told Green he was coming for him via text messages.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do this if I were you,\u201d Green warned. \u201cI don\u2019t play fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Podziemski then sent a bunch of old photos of Green to the team, the funniest he could find.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was like: \u2018Wham. Wham. Wham<\/em>,’\u201d Green said of the flood of texts and then remembered he hadn\u2019t retaliated. \u201cI still gotta popcorn his car.\u201d<\/p>\n After a low-energy loss to the Heat in late December, a distraught Podziemski went to the podium and blamed himself as the biggest reason for the loss. Anyone who watched the game would\u2019ve placed his decent performance far down the list. Curry went 3 of 15 shooting. Andrew Wiggins<\/a> was in a slump. Defensive breakdowns were everywhere. But there he was pinning himself as the night\u2019s wrongdoer.<\/p>\n \u201cGeez,\u201d Thompson said when he heard about it. \u201cDramatic, rookie.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr has been most impressed with Podziemski defensively. In camp, they track deflections during scrimmages. Podziemski led the team. That was an early sign.<\/p>\n His rebounding numbers translated, which was particularly important for a team that leaned small. The Warriors are the third-best rebounding team in the NBA and Podziemski\u2019s 5.8 rebounds per game in 26 minutes per game rank behind only Green and Looney. He gets on the glass more relentlessly than Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>, their bigger wings.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat this team has lacked, what it lacked last year, he gave us,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cThe connection. The connector. The ball-mover. The cutter. There\u2019s a feel and a recognition of what\u2019s happening on the floor that makes him playable in any lineup. He enhances every lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors nearly blew a huge lead to the Spurs<\/a> in late November. They won, but it was a bad overall performance and Podziemski\u2019s first real stinker. He missed all five of his shots. Kerr entered the locker room postgame expecting the team to be down and Podziemski to be in hiding.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have been holed up in my apartment for three days wondering if I\u2019d ever make a shot again,\u201d Kerr said of his younger self. \u201cBut I went in there and he was the most upbeat guy. I loved it. Because when you play poorly and still can bring team energy and maintain confidence and swagger, that\u2019s a great sign.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the more consequential plays of the Warriors\u2019 season so far came in Portland in mid-December. They entered a wobbly 11-14, needing desperately to beat a bad Trail Blazers<\/a> team. But Curry struggled and they were having a tough time putting the win away.<\/p>\n Curry missed a free throw with four seconds left. The Blazers, down two, didn\u2019t call timeout. Shaedon Sharpe<\/a> pushed the ball upcourt in a scramble drill. He had what appeared to be a path to the rim to tie it. But Podziemski stepped in front and took a game-winning charge. Here\u2019s the possession:<\/p>\n Podz saves the day with a heads-up play \u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/hsBjStzdye<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 18, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n That was Podziemski\u2019s 11th charge drawn. It has become his signature defensive move. He has drawn 27 this season, which leads the NBA. He tracks the leaderboard, knew who led the NBA in that category last season (Oklahoma City<\/a>\u2019s Jaylin Williams<\/a>) and even mentions some of the greatest charge-takers in recent history when discussing it.<\/p>\n When discussing Podziemski\u2019s defensive upside, Kerr compared him to Austin Reaves of the Lakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLike when I coached Austin this past summer, what stood out to me most is just that there\u2019s zero fear defensively. And he\u2019s strong as s\u2014. That\u2019s what they have in common. They\u2019re very similar (in) size. Six-four and really physically strong. That\u2019s what you need, I think, in today\u2019s game. The guys who struggle defensively are the guys who aren\u2019t physically strong. If you\u2019re going to be on the small side, you\u2019ve got to be strong,\u201d Kerr said.<\/p>\n Podziemski has, in a roundabout way, compared himself to Gary Payton II<\/a> and Draymond Green this season, overly ambitious on its face but Payton and Green seem to understand the general point. He sees the floor and the patterns and has an appetite for disruption like both of them. But that comes with a downside. He roams.<\/p>\n \u201cHe gambles way too much,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cThat\u2019s great except we really only need one guy (Draymond) doing that. If you have two guys doing that, the defense will be screwed up. But I\u2019ll take that any day over the guy who isn\u2019t aware. The guy who isn\u2019t aware is standing on the weak side while the guy is laying it in. He\u2019s the opposite. He sees every cutter. He\u2019s trying to help on everything. We just have to help him streamline and help him understand his job isn\u2019t to do everyone else\u2019s job.\u201d<\/p>\n Adds Green:\u00a0\u201cHe gets lost sometimes. But the reality is I used to get lost all the time. People may not remember, but they couldn\u2019t play me on shooters for a long time. It\u2019d be like we\u2019re playing the Pelicans<\/a>, I\u2019d guard Anthony Davis<\/a>. Then they\u2019d switch Ryan Anderson or Nikola Miroti\u0107 and they\u2019d be like: \u2018We got to get Draymond out of the game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Green and Podziemski high-five during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Alonzo Adams \/ USA Today)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n